Ingredients

Apple Filling

4 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled,

cored and thinly sliced

4 T unsalted butter

¼ c water

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup apple sauce

½ t ground nutmeg

¼ t salt

Grated zest from 1 lemon

1 t vanilla extract

Bread Crust

14 T unsalted butter, melt

10 of T

2 T granulated sugar

34 slices brioche bread (or white bread)

Sauce

2 c caramel sauce(store bought)

2 c Granny Smith apples, peeled,

cored, diced small

Pinch sugar

Pinch cinnamon

1 T butter

1 qt vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Filling

  1. Melt butter in 6-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add apples & caramelize, add water, cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 mins, until apples are soft. Remove cover & add sugar, nutmeg & salt. Increase heat to medium-high & continue to cook, stirring often, until liquid has completely evaporated, about 10 mins. Remove from heat & stir in zest, apple sauce & vanilla. Set aside to cool. (filling can be made 1 day ahead)

Crust & assembly

  1. Position oven rack in lower third of oven & preheat to 425°F. Grease 8 ceramic dishes with 1 T butter. Sprinkle sugar in dish & tilt to coat bottom & sides. Tap out excess & set aside.
  2. Remove crusts from bread. Center bottom of mold over one of bread squares. Cut around mold to form circle to use as top. Make a total of 20 rounds-10 for bottoms & 10 for tops. Dip each one in melted butter & place at bottom of mold.
  3. Cut each of 15 remaining slices of bread into 4 rectangular pieces. Dip one side of each strip in melted butter & arrange strips, upright, around inside of molds, buttered-sides against mold & overlapping by about 1/2" to completely line mold. Use 6 rectangles to line the mold.
  4. Spoon apple filling into bread-lined molds, mounding slightly in center.
  5. Take remaining ten rounds of bread & dip pieces of bread into melted butter & place on top of filling, buttered-sides up. Press down lightly.
  6. Bake for 30 mins, then cover loosely with alum foil. Bake for 15-20 mins more, until top is deep golden brown & side slices are golden brown (run a thin-bladed knife between bread & pan to check). Remove from oven, uncover, & let rest for 15 mins on wire rack. Run knife around edges of molds to flip mold out onto serving plates.
  7. For sauce, sauté 1 c of prepped apples in butter, add a pinch of sugar & cinnamon. Allow to cook until apples are lightly browned & all sugars have dissolved. Remove from heat & add 2 c caramel sauce to the apples & stir to coat.